want it to be a secret. June knew she was waiting for her to make the first
move, especially at work, but she should have done it with far more tact,
less sharpness, and more consideration.
“Oh. I see.”
“Beth, if you need money for something like that, I want you to know
that you could come to me. We could work something out. An advance or
something like that. This isn’t the first time the idea has come up, either.
I’m actually considering making similar offers for some of the other
employees here.”
“You are?” Arabella asked softly.
June knew Arabella must be thinking about her dad and his mounting
medical bills. She saw a brief flash of her pain cross her face before
Arabella neatly tucked it away beneath the surface again.
“Thank you.” Beth headed for the door. “I’m going to be in my office. I
need a few hours to think about all of this. How to go forward from here,
but if you need me…”
“No, that’s fine. I could use a few hours myself,” June told her.
Beth left much differently than she’d come in. Her color was normal, she
walked at a rate that wouldn’t put her at danger of breaking an ankle or her
neck as she snapped a heel off. She looked dazed, but there was no doubting
her relief.
“I guess we should probably talk later,” Arabella ventured softly. She
hadn’t moved at all. Her lovely blue eyes flicked up off the floor and landed
on June’s face with enough intensity to nearly rock June back.
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“Are we…are we breaking up? Are you that mad at me?”
“No.” June hadn’t even considered that. Well, not once she’d calmed
down. Even before she got to the office, she hadn’t been thinking about
how to dump Arabella. She wanted to try to understand, hear her out, and
then make a decision. She didn’t want to be that person who couldn’t get